Mandolin-support.



J. F. VRUBEL. MANDOLIN SUPPORT. APPLICATION man 0:20.31. 1911.

A [rive/7 far W 74 W 4 Affarheg Patented July 16, 1918.

JOSEPH F. VBUBEL, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

MANDOLIN-SUPPORT.

Application filed December 31, 1917.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH F. VRUBEL, a citizen of Russia, residing atHartford, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Mandolin- Supports, of whichthe following is a specification.

When playing a mandolin or similar musical instrument, the strings ofwhich are picked, it is customary to rest the bowl of the instrument ina pocket formed by the limbs and lower portion of the body of the playerand to force it tightly against the abdomen with the left hand whichgrasps the neck, so that the sounding board will not turn, but willremain in the desired plane as the strings are picked by the player withthe right hand. This not only causes a tiresome strain on the muscles ofthe body of the player, but it restricts the movements of the left handalong the neck and puts the muscles of the fingers of that hand undertension and thus interferes with the desired free fingering of thestrings when playing.

The object of this invention is to provide a device which will supportan instrument of this character in such manner as to relieve the playerfrom the necessity of tightly gripping the neck and holding the bowlclosely against the body, and thus relieve the player from discomfortand leave the fingering hand free, the said device being simple, compactand convenient; adjustable for various sizes and shapes of instruments;and capable of holding the instrument rigid with the sounding board inthe most convenient plane, and yet allowing the instrument to at anytime be lifted free from the support and manipulated for performing anydesired fancy playing movements.

Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings shows a side elevation of thedevice illustrating its use. Fig. 2 shows an end view looking at theclamp post. Fig. 3 shows on larger scale a side elevation, with parts insection, of the post that is provided with a pad which is used tosupport the bowl of the instrument underneath the neck. Fig. 4 is asimilar View of the post which is provided with a clamp that is fastenedto the tail piece of the instrument.

The support has a base 1 that is hollowed out on its underside so as tofit over the thighs of the player. This base may be formed of wood ormetal and it is preferably covered on the bottom and sides with softSpecification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 16, 1918.

Serial No. 209,748.

fabric, such as plush or leather. Fastened on top of the base is a plate2 and secured to this plate are lugs 3 and 4.. Pivoted to the lugs 3 isthe lower end of a tubular post 5, the upper end of which has a setscrew 6. Fitted so it may rotate and slide in the tubular post and beclamped in desired location by the set screw is a rod 7. Articulated tothe upper end of the post is a pad 8 that is desirably overed withplush, leather or other soft fabric. The post which carries the pad isso pivoted to the attachmg lug that the post with the pad may be foldeddown against the top of the base, and when fully opened up it willincline slightly toward the other end of the base and so hold the padthat it will assume the correct position to fit itself to the bowl ofthe instrument under the neck, as illustrated in Fig. 1.

Jointed to the lugs a is a tubular post 9. Loosely fitting in the upperend of this post is a stem 10 jointed to which is a block 11. Pivoted tothe upper end of this block is a sheet metal clamp plate 12, this clampbe ing secured in the desired angular relation to the block by means ofa thumb screw 13 which is threaded into the hub 14 of the clamp andturns against the block. The upper and lower edges of the clamp, whichis formed of spring sheet metal, are bent so that they will hook ontoand grip the tail piece of the instrument. A portion 15 of the clamp isbent into U-form and to one limb of this bent portion a stud 1G isfastened. This stud extends through the other limb of the bent portionof the clamp and on the threaded upper end is a thumb screw 17. A spring18 may be placed between the links of the bent portion of the clamp toforce them apart. V hen the clamp is placed over the tail piece or otherpart of the instrument this thumb screw 17 may be turned down so as tocompress the bent portion and draw the ends of the clamp tightly ontothe tail piece.

The pad may be lifted or lowered as is necessary in order to support theneck end of the instrument at the desired height, or to fit instrumentsof difierent sizes, that is, if the instrument is of small size the padwould be raised, if the instrument is of large size the pad would belowered. After being adjusted as to height the pad is rotated to thenecessary position to properly conform to the underside of theinstrument and form a firm support, then the set screw 6 is tightened soas to hold the pad in the desired location. The clamp is attached to thetail piece and secured by turning the thumb screw 17, and after theclamp has been turned to the necessary position for properlysupporting-the instrument it is set in that position by tightening theclamp screw 13. As the clamp is free to swing back and forth on thejoint which connects it with the stem it will assume the necessaryposition toward or from the pad end of the support for properly holdingthe instrument. lVhen the device is not in use the pad and clamp may befolded down close against the top of the base, as indicated by dottedlines on Fig. 1. In this condition the structure is compact and can bepacked for transportation in a small case. hen the device is to be usedthe pad and the clamp are turned up and adjusted so as to properlysupport the instrument and hold it with the sounding board at the anglewhich the player considers most desirable. If it is desired whileplaying to lift the instrument and swing it, or perform otherevolutions, it may be simply lifted up for it is free from the pad andthe stem which supports the clamp is free to be lifted out of the postwhich carries it, the clamp itself remaining attached to the instrument.

The invention claimed is; 1. A mandolin support consisting of a baseshaped to rest upon the thighs of a player, a post lunged to the basenear each end so as to swing up from and down toward the base, a padattached to the free end of one post, a stem detaehably connected to theother post, and a clamp adjustably attached "to said stem, said clamphaving means for securing it to the tailpiece of a mandolin,

2. A mandolin support conslstlng of a base shaped to rest upon thethighs, of a player, a post hinged to the base near each upon the freeend of said rod, a stem de-- tachably connected to the other post, and aclamp attached to said stem, said clamp being designed to grip the tailpiece of a mandolin.

3. A mandolin support consisting of a base shaped to rest upon thethighs of a player, a post hinged to the base near-each end so as toswing up from and down toward the base, a rod carried by and adjustablelongitudinally of one post, means for securing the rod in adjustedposition, a pad swiveled upon the free end of said rod, a stemdetachably connected to the other post, and a spring clamp pivotallyattached to said stem, said clamp having means for Se curing it to thetail piece of a mandolin.

JOSEPH F. VRUBEL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. j

